India's Department of Telecommunications has given the order to operators to "block cellphones" without a valid IMEI number. The move leaves millions of Chinese using mobile phones without an IMEI number with only two options: buy a new phone with a valid IMEI number or get the number implanted in the current phone using available software through the Cellular Operators Association of India.

It’s the end of days for those cheap Chinese mobile handsets which do not have a genuine International Mobile Equipment Identity number. From the midnight of November 30, all these will go dead.

India’s Ministry of Communications remains concerned that, if not handled appropriately and swiftly, these anonymous phones could fall into the hands of unsavory characters and potentially be used for terrorism.

If it seems that news of this program has come out of nowhere, you're not alone. Chances are, millions of subscribers in China may similarly be unaware of the service interruption they will experience beginning overnight. Needless to say, the customer service component of this switch could prove enough to make one's head explode. But ready or not, the change is coming.

The Genuine IMEI Implantation programme, being carried out by Mobile Service Providers’ Association of India across the country, is on in full swing. MSAI feels that even by conservative estimates, at least 2.1 crore mobiles may not get GII by Monday and are bound to go dead.